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Jonathan Colton
Founder of Foundercheck | Sales and go to market for founders who need to name their who first
Suffern, United States (-05:00 UTC) Englishfrom Suffern, United States
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Free
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30 min
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09
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Bio
I'm a distribution person. Sales and go to market have been my whole career, across services like healthcare, strategy consulting, SaaS, and some time in web3 and crypto. I'm usually the first salesperson in the room, the Marines of sales. Now everyone in this agentic world says distribution is the new moat. I've been saying that for years. The problem is that most founders were never trained to create customers. Pitch contests reward whoever tells the best story, and that doesn't teach anyone how to find and win a customer. Even if agents can do some of this work, it's a skill every founder needs, because if you don't know how to create customers, you're not really an entrepreneur yet. For the past few years I've been researching founder GTM pain and writing about it. Earlier this year I ran agentic research on Reddit, in the channels where founders talk about their GTM problems in the wild, with Claude as the corpus keeper. The top finding: founders can't name their who. Everything else is downstream of that, and if you skip it up front you're in struggle mode with everything that follows. Another finding that had nothing to do with GTM was founder loneliness. That research shaped Foundercheck, the app I built. It works on pillars like pain, problem and who, and it weights the who heavily. One of the questions I always ask: have your customers paid for a solution and failed, and are they using workarounds? I'm also writing a book on this, now on its third version. I look at problems through a jobs to be done lens: the functional job, and the emotional and social jobs most founders pay zero attention to. I also believe in trust and signal. The more trust you build with someone, the more you hear the need behind the need and the fear behind the fear. I talk with founders regularly, and every GTM problem I hear keeps my brain moving. If you built something in a weekend and nobody is buying, I'll probably ask you to step back and spend some time building a customer.
Expertise
Go to market strategy
I've done go to market my whole career across healthcare services, strategy consulting, SaaS and web3. With founders I start before the launch plan: who is this for, what pain are they feeling, and have they paid for something that failed. A lot of people come in wanting GTM help when the real gap is that they can't name their customer yet, so I'll walk you back a few stages if that's what it takes.
Sales
I'm usually the first salesperson at a company, the Marines of sales. I help founders learn how to create customers themselves, because pitch contests and good storytelling don't teach that. Even with agents taking on more of the work, I think every founder needs this skill, and I'm happy to work through your approach to finding and winning your first customers.
Idea validation
I built Foundercheck to help founders test their ideas against pillars like pain, problem and who. One of my key questions is whether your customers have already paid for a solution and failed, and whether they're using workarounds. If they are, that's a strong signal. If you built the app in a weekend and nobody is buying, we'll look at the evidence behind the idea.
Product market fit
My research on founder GTM pain showed that the number one struggle is not being able to name who you're building for, and everything else is downstream of that. I help founders get specific about their who and their pain before chasing growth, using a jobs to be done lens that covers the functional, emotional and social jobs your customer is hiring you for.
User research
I ran agentic research on Reddit, in the channels where founders describe their GTM pains in the wild, using Claude to keep the research corpus. I also have customer discovery calls with founders regularly. I can help you find where your customers talk openly, what to listen for, and how to get past the surface problem to the need behind the need.
Mindset coaching
One finding from my research that had nothing to do with GTM was founder loneliness. I pay attention to the emotional side of building: trust comes first, and the more of it there is, the more you hear the fear behind the fear. I'm direct when someone is ready to hear it, and I'm a big believer in picking your battles and spending your energy where it counts.
Toolkit
Claude
I used Claude as the corpus keeper for my agentic research into founder GTM pains, organizing what founders were saying in the wild and pulling out findings like the top problem: not being able to name who you're building for. I can share how I set up research workflows like that.
Reddit Ads
Reddit was the source for my research on founder GTM pain. I went into the channels where founders express their problems openly and studied what they said. I can help you use Reddit to hear how your own customers describe their pain in their own words.
Industries
SaaS
I've worked in sales and go to market for SaaS, and I talk regularly with SaaS founders working through GTM problems, from finding their first customers to deciding what to do at a crossroads.
Experience
Foundercheck & Dog Food Labs
FounderFounderCheck coaches founders through it. Four questions. A clear verdict. Built on Farcaster because the tool has to live where builders are working. Dog Food Labs is the signal engine underneath: agents listening across Reddit, Product Hunt, and Farcaster, pulling real founder pain in their own words — before it gets polished into something safe and useless. The research question driving both: can agents surface what's actually true about a market faster than a founder can convince themselves they already know?
NettyWorth | Web3 Platform
Director of StrategyNettyWorth is a Web3 Fintech Company revolutionizing how individuals manage and borrow against their digital and physical assets. 2023 - Director of Strategy | Producer of the NettyWorth Daily Recap, working on the founding team to bootstrap the venture from an idea to a funded start-up and raising seed capital with Republic, a private investing platform. My current work touches on Product, Marketing, Sales, Content, and overall strategy. 2022 - Podcast Co-Host and Business Strategist, working with the Founding team pivoting from a media company to a fintech start-up. 2021 - Podcast Co-Host
Stormboard
Enterprise Account ManagerStormboard is a visual collaborative workflow (SaaS) platform that turns unstructured interactions into data-rich collaborative workspaces. Enterprise Account Manager (2022-2023) | Growth/Retention • Led account growth and account retention efforts for Tier 1 and 2 Enterprise Accounts with $1.4MM in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). • Established Stormboard’s Account Management Function • Agile Subject Matter Expert, engaging economic buyers and decision-makers, resulting in closing six-figure enterprise deals with global telecom companies, pharmaceutical companies, and financial services companies. Enterprise Account Executive (2021-2022) | Sales Growth/Team Expansion • Expanded Stormboard's sales revenue with a global telecom customer by 150% and became the "vendor of choice" chosen over well-funded competitors with a "partner mindset" preferential to the buyer. • Expanded Stormboard's product roadmap and Enterprise Sales Team in response to growing Agile customer base • Agile Subject Matter Expert - Facilitate meaningful engagements with Agile experts Business Development Strategist (2019-2020) | Building the Foundation • Increased Stormboard's total sales by 15% and validated Stormboard as an Enterprise SaaS seller by closing a six-figure enterprise deal with a global telecom. • Developed and led the go-to-market strategy for the Agile (SAFe) ICP • Hired, trained, and mentored the SDR team that generated 500+ customer discovery and demo calls. • Member of Stormboard’s leadership committee representing sales
Design Sprint School
Design Sprint Master | MentorDesign Sprint Master certified using Google Ventures (Sprint) and The MVS - Minimum Valuable Service (The Service Startup). Acted as a mentor in the Design Sprint School.
Yeh IDeology
Engagement Director (Business Development)Yeh IDeology is a Career Coaching, Talent Strategy, and Recruitment firm specializing in Design, Strategy, and Innovation. Strategic Business Development: Spearheaded a transformative initiative at Yeh IDeology by conducting user research and stakeholder interviews, resulting in an overhaul of Yeh Ideology's core service offering, pricing model, and service delivery approach. Client Acquisition: Led the business development process from start to finish, including conducting meticulous discovery calls, guiding prospects through our pipeline, and achieving the closure of new business within a 90-day timeframe.
Stormboard
Head Of Business DevelopmentMember of a three-person team that bootstrapped Stormboard to cash flow positive, with 500,000+ users in 130 countries and users in 50%+ of the Fortune 50. •Led the customer discovery and demo, proposal writing, and closing deals with F500/G1000 companies, including consumer brands, consulting firms, software and technology companies, creative agencies, and design firms. •Developed and launched a game-changing product by conducting customer discovery with 100+ beta and paid beta customers. This led to a rebranding and re-launching in 2013 at the Launch Festival in San Francisco. •Pioneered a new pricing strategy by converting Stormboard’s pricing model to a low-friction one, doubling the new user adoption rate.
165 East 60th Street Corporation
President of the Board of Directors and Board MemberPositions Held: Vice President Board Member A vital member of the board that sold the Corporation’s developable air rights to World Wide Development, bringing in $8.66 million to the 165 East 60th Street Corporation and its shareholders. Summary: The President of 165 East 60th Street Corporation Board plays a pivotal role in overseeing and managing the affairs of a cooperative housing corporation in one of the most dynamic real estate markets in the world. This leadership position requires a keen understanding of cooperative governance, financial acumen, and the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders. Key Responsibilities: •Board Leadership: Provide visionary leadership to the cooperative board, ensuring effective governance practices, adherence to bylaws, and promoting transparency and accountability. •Financial Oversight: Oversee the financial health of the cooperative, including budget management, financial planning, and monitoring financial performance. Collaborate with the treasurer and financial committee to ensure prudent financial decisions. •Community Engagement: Foster a sense of community among coop shareholders, promoting open communication and conflict resolution while representing the cooperative's interests to the larger community. •Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Stay updated on relevant laws, regulations, and policies affecting cooperatives in New York City. Ensure the cooperative's compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. •Property Management: Collaborate with property management companies and professionals to maintain and enhance the physical condition of the cooperative's property, including repairs, renovations, and maintenance.
Outthinker
Head Of Business Development and Engagement ManagerOutthinker is a strategy-consulting firm with an efficient strategic methodology, the Outthinker Process® that enables clients to rapidly reach strategic clarity on a set of choices, which protect their core business interests while unlocking new growth opportunities. • Established quick wins by closing the first client pitch, resulting in $200,000+ in gross revenue for Outthinker. • Lead the business development process by coordinating prospective client research, conducting client pitches, writing, negotiating, and closing business (53% proposal to closing ratio) with all prospective clients. • Repositioned Outthinker’s business by shifting the business model and service stack from workshops to full-cycle strategy engagements. • Client engagement manager responsible for ensuring client satisfaction and profitability (50% profit margins) of each engagement.
Signature Group Investments
Director of Acquisitions and Strategic AdvisorI was hired by the CEO of Signature Group Investments (SIG), a privately held investment organization that specializes in acquiring and managing real estate, as well as related equity, debt, and hybrid investments for private and institutional investors. My responsibilities included coaching the CEO and senior management, helping them realign their Senior Management and organization. I also facilitated the quarterly and annual strategic planning process and established company KPIs. Additionally, I designed Signature's proprietary innovation process (SI3), which is a 90-day cycle to improve the customer experience, reduce costs, design new services, and respond to critical business challenges. Furthermore, I recruited, trained, and managed a high-performance acquisitions team. This team was responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and underwriting $10+ billion of distressed real estate debt. They also conducted due diligence and closed on $40,000,000+ in multifamily assets related equity and debt, including the acquisition of a REIT. All of these were accomplished during the worst real estate market since the Great Depression.
HomeCare Partners Inc.
Executive Vice PresidentHCP is a healthcare provider specializing in outpatient and home intravenous therapies for various medical specialties, including Oncology, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, and Infectious Diseases. As a sales leader, I have consistently achieved seven-figure sales yearly for a decade, responsible for contributing 50-75% of total company sales. I have also grown revenues by 500% by developing trusted partner relationships with physician groups, medical facilities, and hospitals. Furthermore, I have contributed critically to the company's business strategy, planning, budgeting, and operations management. I have co-led the revenue cycle management team, ensuring the company's financial goals are met. In addition, I have trained, coached, and mentored the sales team, helping them improve their performance and achieve their targets.
Pace University
Adjunct Lecturer in LeadershipCreated an innovative leadership seminar for upper class undergraduates. The goal was to develop a skill-set and mind-set for working, living and succeeding in an ever-changing world. The seminar enabled students to understand the natural role they could play in (the leadership of) any transformational effort. The content was largely based on John Kotter’s Leading Change and Our Iceberg is Melting and was developed in conjunction with Holger Rathgeber, Kotter’s co-author of Our Iceberg is Melting.
Transplant Partners Inc.
Co-Founder, Vice PresidentI was responsible for launching an oncology services business in the market segment of autologous bone marrow transplants. The business venture comprised a private outpatient oncology facility and a bone marrow transplant facility at Cabrini Medical Center. As a part of my role, I developed and executed a comprehensive business strategy that generated $2 million in annual revenue for TPI and $3 million in yearly revenue for Cabrini Medical Center. Furthermore, I implemented a creative approach that disrupted existing referral patterns, which helped me build a strong customer pipeline and enabled long-term patient retention for the referring physician. Providing the best-in-class patient care was my goal, and the strategy I implemented helped me achieve that.